People have busy lives. It can sometimes be difficult to find time for lunch or keep fit by visiting a gym, let alone keep up with entertainment programming. Some people try to combine tasks to save time, like viewing entertainment while exercising at the gym. However, daytime programming is typically unappealing. Fortunately, many gyms and other establishments provide access to alternative programming by providers such as Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, ESPN, and other providers. Unfortunately, signing into multiple services can be a large hassle for a user trying to multitask viewing entertainment programming and keeping active at a gym or other location.
Additionally, we continually must manage more and more credentials and passwords, account cards, and other forms of identification. For all the services and providers we deal with on a day-to-day basis, accessing each of these credentials, whether it be identification numbers provided on a card, account login information for an online service, or other associations of a user with a provider service, can be cumbersome. The public has long needed a better solution.
In one example, a person may be returning to their home from work and need to stop by a store to pick up supplies for dinner. To complete this transaction, the user may interact with multiple accounts including a rewards account, electronic payment account, and potentially entertainment service provider account such as Pandora to listen to music while shopping. Some existing platforms can store account details for some of a user's credit cards, but users need a common place for logins and account information for provider services, payment methods, rewards cards, physical access, and other authenticatable activities.
However, a completely centralized repository of passwords included on a card or other physical item that can be carried by a user poses a risk for data theft and/or identity theft. Additionally, having all the account information stored on a single physical card limits the ability of a user to control permissions for other people that the user wishes to grant partial access to their accounts.
Another frustration that currently exists that needs a solution is setting up your accounts on a new electronic device such as a media streaming box, game console with multimedia features, or smart TV. A solution is needed that will allow a user to set up multiple accounts substantially simultaneously using one association of the user with his or her accounts. Ideally, this solution would provide persistent login information for many applications, services, accounts, and other features associated with the user. Another notable frustration that currently exists and needs a solution is the independent and disparate nature of associating authentication techniques with an account and remedying that association in the case of a breach. For example, with existing 2-factor authentication (“2FA”) systems, a user is required to set up a 2FA or other authenticator with each account. If lost or stolen, that 2FA or other authenticator must be deactivated from each account separately and a new 2FA or other authenticator reactivated and tied to each account separately. Basically, the individual 2FA or other authenticator is tied to each account, vs the account and authentication system account being tied together.
Therefore, a need exists to solve the deficiencies present in the prior art. What is needed is a system to authenticate users across multiple sessions. What is needed is a system to manage authenticated sessions. What is needed is an authentication system with authentication credentials. What is needed is a system with authentication credentials capable of being indexed using physical media and/or virtual media. What is needed is a user-manageable association of authentication indexes referencing authentication credentials that can be associated and/or disassociated with a credential index medium without having to disparately change an authentication with each provider individually. What is needed is a method of authenticating a user including authentication credential management. What is needed is a method of filtering content for authenticated users. What is needed is optional payment processing aspects included by an authentication system. What is needed is an identity verification and authentication with simpler operation and management than existing 2FA operations.